To Kinmoku
by Crispy Hobbit
Summary: It's Christmas. The Starlights are on Earth searching for their Princess. Yaten has been struggling with something and a party at their apartment is enough to make her crack. A One-Shot.


A/N – This was written as a Christmas Present for one of my dearest friends. She has been there for me through some mentally tough times. I really appreciate everything she has done for me. I love you hun, ^_^.

Big Thanks goes to my beta-readers, phyria of LycanPhyria and zapid.

A note before you read, I have combined elements from all versions of Sailor Moon which you will probably notice, as in the Starlights being female. I have written them as always being female and just dressing and acting like men to attract the attention of their Princess. Just so you are prepared, ^_^

Disclaimer – The concept and characters of Sailor Moon do not belong to me.

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'To Kinmoku'

Christmas. An annual Terran holiday celebrated on December 25th that marks and honours the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a religious figure. Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. This would explain why Usagi and the rest of the Sol Senshi participated in the event.

They had lived on the planet known as Earth for all their current lives and had grown up celebrating the day with their loved ones. It was only natural for them to continue doing so despite the threat of the Golden clad one. They had already proven that they did not understand the gravity of the situation, and nothing was about to make them change their traditions.

Yaten understood this. No matter how stupid she thought it was, Yaten Kou did understand. What the silver haired Starlight didn't understand was why Seiya was forcing both her and Taiki to join in with this holiday. And what really made her question Seiya's mental health was that she had offered the use of _their_ apartment for the Christmas party the young girls wanted to have.

Yaten really had thought her leader had lost her mind when she had broken the news to them the week before. In fact, she had even considered taking her to a mental health clinic. It was only Taiki's reasoning that they could be found out and locked up that put a stop to it. They wouldn't be able to search for their princess if they were in a mental institution or being experimented on. The Earth wouldn't be able to resist Galaxia and her minions if that happened.

Not that Yaten really cared about this. No, what she did care about was finding Princess Kakyuu and returning to her own planet, Kinmoku. They had a lot of rebuilding to do once they returned, but they could do it.

This was all providing that they found their fireball princess, of course. A doubt that constantly plagued at Yaten's mind. They had been searching for her for so long now, singing every day with the hope that she would hear them and reveal herself. But there had been no results so far, and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to keep optimistic. And Yaten wasn't really an optimistic person to begin with. Having to cope with not only her own emotions but everyone else's was bound to have some effect on her.

She was an empath. She was able to feel and sense the emotions of others which could be both a blessing and a curse. Her empathy had gotten them out of a few nasty situations and often allowed the Starlights to avoid them altogether.

However, there was no off button for empathy. It was a permanent fixture in Yaten's life. One that could sometimes get to be too much for the short girl. She had become quite skilled at blocking the unwanted emotions out though, over the years, having constructed a mental barrier. The barrier wasn't as strong as she liked to believe though, and often other peoples' emotions would break through.

There was nothing more pure and honest than emotions. Emotions never lied. They could be interpreted wrong, yes, but they never lied. If you wanted to know the real truth behind someone, then listen to their emotions and the answers will be revealed. And sometimes these brief flashes of pure honesty would mentally shake her. It often took all her willpower and strength not to crumble under the pressure.

Taiki and Seiya were a great help too. They were always there if she needed them, ready to lend a shoulder, a hand, and even their strength. Seiya especially. Sometimes it seemed as if the black haired Starlight could predict when an onslaught of emotions would hit Yaten and would pester her before it even started, in an attempt to keep her distracted. As annoying as that was, Yaten really did appreciate it.

She appreciated everything both Seiya and Taiki did for her. They were her best friends, allies, comrades... and they had been together for so long now. Them and their princess. Thus it made one of their absences that much more noticeable and painful.

Losing their princess had been a big blow, and now it seemed like they were losing Seiya too. She wasn't around as much anymore. Sure they were together at school and during any Three Lights business, but as soon as they were granted free time she was gone. Off chasing after Usagi, vying for her affections. But it was useless. Usagi's heart already belonged to someone else, but no matter how many times the other two told her this, Seiya wouldn't listen. She would make it that much harder for herself and that much more painful when the truth did sink in, but Seiya was too engrossed in her feelings for the odango haired girl that she was failing to see anything else.

So it was unsurprising that she missed all the signals that Yaten was struggling with something. Taiki hadn't of course, (but then Taiki never misses anything), but no amount of talking or generally being there persuaded Yaten to tell all. She was being tight-lipped, revealing nothing. And that was just how she liked it, especially since it was such a personal matter. And unbeknownst to Seiya, she had made it that much worse for her shorter friend by going ahead with the party.

Since the revelation of the event, Yaten had been even more introverted than usual, choosing to seclude herself from all the preparations. She couldn't escape Christmas though. Not with it being talked about everywhere she went. It was all anyone seemed to be talking about at the moment. Parties and presents around every corner. Music blaring out of every speaker. Even right at this very moment an annoyingly cheerful western Christmas song was coming out of the sliding door of their apartment to Yaten's ears. But then it was the evening of the party, which was currently in full swing, so it was to be expected.

It gave Yaten a headache. This Christmas cheer stuff... it all seemed so fake, so commercial, but Usagi and all her friends seemed to relish it. They hadn't stopped dancing or talking since they had arrived. Except for that brief moment when Minako had tried to corner Yaten under a piece of mistletoe. The silver haired one swore the whole room had gone deathly silent. She still couldn't remember how she got out of that exactly, but she did know that she had not granted the senshi of Venus her wish.

She had been out on the balcony, avoiding everyone, since. She also was trying to clear her mind so she could try to enjoy herself, but she was failing miserably. Sighing to herself as a fresh bout of laughter erupted from the apartment, Yaten leaned forward on the railing, closing her eyes momentarily.

This holiday... Christmas... it was like a stab in the gut, a bitter reminder of her biggest failure. Christmas in many ways was just like one of their own holidays back on Kinmoku, Gelu Hiver. It was celebrated at the start of what would be the equivalent of winter on Earth. It was a big event, celebrated by everyone to commemorate the birth of their planet, or so history tells it.

It was a time to enjoy with those they held dear, often expressing their gratitude through a highly personal gift, generally something hand-made. Something that the recipient would not part with for anything.

They also decorated trees, but in a much more simple and tasteful manner in Yaten's opinion. Just simple plain lights and pieces of ribbon. The ribbons were tied on individually by different people and as the knot was tied a wish was made. It was tradition. The effect was stunning on the eye. Not like the garish and hideously over the top decorations found here on Earth. Yaten had to physically stop herself from wincing every time she saw a piece of tinsel.

Gelu Hiver was such a special time for the Starlights, so naturally this Terran holiday being so similar was bound to make them homesick and nostalgic. It also brought back some not very pleasant memories of the recent past. The memory of the evening when Galaxia and her animamates attacked, it was during Gelu Hiver.

And this was what had been dragging Yaten down. The memories of what had happened. Watching their princess flee. The destruction. Death. All of it had been her fault, Yaten's. At least in her mind it was. She should have sensed it. In fact she had sensed it. Something had been niggling at her for a few days before it had happened, and she felt uneasy. But since it was a holiday she hadn't wanted to bug anyone with it, so she kept it to herself, thinking her empathy would alert her if something bad was going to happen, not realizing that was the warning. She didn't know the truth of the situation until it was too late.

She had failed. She failed as an empath. She failed in protecting the planet. She failed as a Starlight. She failed her Princess. She failed Taiki. She failed Seiya. She had failed everyone. It was all her fault. And the guilt was starting to become too much for her. She honestly did not know for how much longer she could pretend that she was okay, that she was fine. The façade she presented was starting to crumble. And this party... it was the last straw really.

Swallowing visibly, sad emotional lime green eyes opened to gaze up at the night sky, searching for the one place she longed to be: Home.

But even if they found their princess and did return home, Yaten didn't deserve to return. Not after what she had done, or failed to do as the case may be. No, she deserved to be exiled, subjected to travelling the galaxies, alone with her memories. That would be the most fitting punishment for a failure such as herself. Though in a way she was already doing that. Whilst they had been searching for their princess, her memories never left her alone. She didn't deserve happiness. She didn't deserve friendship. She didn't deserve love. Yet Seiya and Taiki were still treating her like they always had.

Well Taiki was anyway; their relationship with Seiya was starting to become strained due to her stubbornness and pride, something Yaten actually had in common with her leader. Not that Seiya wasn't still treating her like a friend, on the contrary. Things were just more tense amongst them all, especially things concerning that Moon Princess.

Still, it baffled the empath that her two friends didn't hold any hostility towards her. About the fall of Kinmoku anyway. They often complained about her bathroom time and how long she took to get dressed, but it was just like she told them, you can't rush perfection. Of course she was far from perfect, but she still had to make face, smile at the world whilst inwardly crying. Maybe Seiya and Taiki just didn't realize it was her fault.

If that was the case then Yaten seriously questioned Taiki's intelligence. Seiya missing that wouldn't surprise Yaten. But Taiki? She was a genius. For her to miss something so painfully obvious... it just didn't happen. But Yaten could think of no other reason, apart from them not blaming her at all, but that just seemed ridiculous to her. It was her fault, plain and simple, and the blame should be left with her.

Sometimes she just didn't understand the other two. Even after all the years they had known each other, they could still surprise her with things they did or said.

She smiled somewhat bitterly to herself before sighing. As much as she loathed to admit it, they were changing. They had changed. They were no longer the people they once were. Though for the better or worse, Yaten didn't know. What she did know was that she hated this new change... and she hated herself. For what she had let happen. For all those lives lost. It was all her fault, and she hated herself for it.

"Gomen-nasai," she whispered to the night sky as a light wind blew her fringe out of her eyes.

She was unaware, however, that she was no longer alone. Blue eyes narrowed in confusion as the words the short Starlight had whispered registered in her mind. Her feet started moving forward a few steps closer to the other silently. Arms desperately wanted to reach out and hold the small girl, comfort her, but were restrained. Physical touch would enhance Yaten's abilities more and the touch would be severely unwanted. Experience had taught her this. Though if she asked Yaten this, the answer would, in fact, be the opposite. But this thought process did not even cross her mind. She came to a standstill, and after watching her friend for a few more moments she decided it was time to sort this out.

"What have you got to be sorry for?" she asked, unsurprised when the smaller Starlight sighed to herself. Yaten lowered her gaze but she made no other movement.

"You should already know the answer to that Seiya," she stated, her voice quiet and tired sounding. She had known it wouldn't take much longer for someone to find her, but did it have to be Seiya of all people? Yaten was most expecting it to be Minako out of everyone there. Even Taiki would have been more likely; but no, it was Seiya. "Did Taiki send you out here?" she asked, no hint of emotion in her voice at all.

Seiya frowned as she crossed her arms in a defensive manner. "No, Taiki did not send me out here, Yaten," she said, annoyance and frustration clear in her voice. "You've been missing for a while, so I was worried."

Yaten snorted in disbelief. "Oh, so you finally noticed something other than your precious 'odango'? I should feel privileged. Has it finally sunk in that she doesn't want you, Seiya?"

Seiya closed her eyes to help control her anger. Yaten was only being defensive and hitting out at the closest target, which was, of course, Seiya. Once she got her own temper in check she opened her eyes and spoke again. "Yaten... I didn't come out here to be insulted."

"Then where do you usually go?" the smaller one retorted quickly.

"Yaten..." Seiya growled in annoyance before pinching the top of her nose. She had to get this conversation back on topic soon before she could no longer hold back her own retorts. "I came out here because I was worried. And rightly so it would seem, because I come out to hear you apologising about something. Yaten, what have you got to be sorry for?"

Yaten sighed before replying. "Like I said before, you should already know the answer to that."

"If you mean the party, then don't worry about it. I didn't really expect you to act any differently. Though you did surprise me when you restrained yourself with Minako earlier. I thought you would have ripped her head off or something," she said, facing forward but watching Yaten out of the corner of her eye. She was pleased to see a small amused smile appear on her face at her comment.

"Yes well, I didn't want to get any blood on the carpet," Yaten replied before sobering once more. "But my hiding out here isn't what I'm sorry about."

"Oh, well you don't need to apologize about your attitude to Earth and the people here either. I know you miss home; we all do. We just all react differently," Seiya shrugged.

Yaten frowned at this before turning shocked and incredulous eyes on her friend. "Do you seriously think that's what I'm apologising for? I couldn't give a rat's tail about Earth or how they perceive me here! No, Seiya. I am certainly NOT sorry about my attitude," she finished with an angry snort.

Seiya was a little taken aback by the sudden anger of her comrade. She eyed her warily. An awkward and tense silence descended over them. After a few moments a confused and concerned expression crossed Seiya's face before she spoke, quietly. "Then what-" she began, before Yaten cut her off.

"What am I apologizing for? Like I said, you should already know. After all, it is the reason why we are stuck here," she said, angrily gesturing at the city before them with one arm, before gripping the railing as she closed her eyes quickly in an attempt to calm herself.

"The reason why we are stuck here?" Seiya asked, confusion evident in her voice. "Yaten, I don't understand."

"That's not surprising," the smaller Starlight retorted, facing forwards once more.

"Yaten," Seiya said, an annoyed tone in her voice. Now was not the time to start their insult war, though the small triumphant smirk on Yaten's face was seriously taunting her to retort. She restrained herself, however. She would get the Shrimp back later. Yaten sniffed but made no other effort to reply, so Seiya continued. "Yaten, how is us searching for our Princess your fault?"

Yaten sighed once more before replying. "Seiya, why are we searching for our Princess?"

"Why?" Seiya blinked in confusion before answering. "Because she fled during the destruction, and it is our duty as her Starlights to find and protect her once more."

Yaten nodded to confirm what Seiya had said. "And why did she flee?"

Seiya was very confused with this line of questioning. Where was Yaten going with this? "To escape the destruction and to ensure the chance of rebuilding Kinmoku."

Yaten nodded once more. "And we followed, but nobody else could and were either killed or had their Star Seeds stolen, why?"

"Yaten, where are you going with this?" Seiya asked, but after a pointed glare from her friend answered the question. "Because it was a surprise attack; we didn't have time to prepare our defense or anything. We had no warning."

"There you have it. That is why I am sorry," Yaten said, a sad and morose tone to her voice.

The frown on Seiya's face only deepened. Why was Yaten apologising for that? None of that was her fault. This was all so confusing. "Yaten, I still don't understand."

Yaten made a small whimpered sound; she did not want to have to spell it out to her leader. That would make it even more painful, but then again, perhaps she deserved it. "Seiya..." she started, but another voice took over as the third member of their group made herself known.

"She's blaming herself," Taiki said as she quietly came up to join the other two. Her face was completely neutral. To others she would seem devoid of all emotion, but Yaten and Seiya could see, and feel in Yaten's case, the concern. Yaten averted her gaze and looked back out towards the city.

"Taiki?" Seiya said, still just as confused as before.

"Yaten's blaming herself for the attack." Taiki continued, not even blinking an eye at the reactions of her friends. "She thinks that as an empath, she should have sensed the attack coming. She feels that she should have been able to warn us. But she couldn't. And so she feels that it is her fault that it happened."

Taiki returned Seiya's shocked gaze with a level neutral one of her own, before turning her eyes onto Yaten. At first glance you would think that the shortest Starlight hadn't moved at all, but at closer inspection it was clear that her grip had tightened visibly on the railing, her knuckles were nearly white.

All three were silent for a few moments. Yaten refusing to comment, Taiki waiting until it was the appropriate time to continue, and Seiya trying to process everything she had just heard.

"Yaten..." Seiya whispered, looking to her once more. She could not believe that her friend was blaming herself for it. It just didn't make sense. Everything Taiki had said... it was so absurd, but she knew it to be the truth. Yaten was prone to blaming herself for things that were unavoidable. But to blame herself for this... How long had she felt this way?

"I'm right aren't I?" Taiki said, more a statement than a question. Both Seiya and Taiki watched Yaten keenly for a reaction. They were unable to see that as soon as Taiki has finished speaking Yaten had winced before closing her eyes in pain. If she was a weaker person she would be in tears by now, but she wasn't. She was strong. And sometimes she really hated that fact.

Seiya and Taiki stared at her back for a few moments before her head lowered and she gave the smallest of nods. The sudden wave of emotions from the other two nearly overwhelmed her and she had to clutch tighter, if that was even possible, to the railings in front of her to center herself.

"Yaten, how can it be your fault? Nobody sensed it. Not even any of the other empaths sensed it." Seiya said, wanting to hold and comfort the other girl again. It was only the fact that it would be inappropriate that stopped her. That and the fact that Yaten would probably tear her arms off or something.

Taiki just nodded in agreement. What Seiya had said was true. None of the other empaths on Kinmoku had sensed anything at all. There weren't many of them. Only about a dozen, including Yaten, on the whole planet. Of course none of the other empaths' abilities were as strong as Yaten's, but generally if one of them sensed something then they all did. Galaxia must have hidden the attack and the emotions of her animamates somehow. All three of them had come up with this theory shortly after they had arrived on Earth.

All was quiet for a few moments before Yaten spoke. Her voice was barely above a whisper but the other two heard her words clearly. "But I did sense it..."

Taiki raised an eyebrow as Seiya's mouth dropped open in shock. "What?" she blurted out.

"I did sense the attack," Yaten repeated louder as she whirled around to face her friends. "That's why it's my fault! I did sense it, and I did nothing!"

"Yaten... What do you mean?" Seiya asked, worry visible in her voice and eyes. Taiki just said nothing and waited for the explanation she knew would come.

Yaten sighed before wrapping her arms around herself. "A few days before it happened I started to feel uneasy. I had no idea why, but I just shrugged it off. It wasn't unlike anything I had felt before, so I didn't think anything of it. I thought if anything was going to happen then my empathy would alert me to it, like it had so many times before. Only it didn't..." she trailed off as she looked down, eyes looking through the floor. "I should have said something. I should have..."

"You did nothing wrong, Yaten," Taiki said, firmly interrupting her silver-haired friend. Yaten looked up sharply at the other two and saw that both of them had the same expression on their faces: stern but with a loving glint in their eyes. She frowned slightly as a questioning look appeared in her own eyes.

Seiya nodded her head in agreement before she opened her mouth to speak. "We know you Yaten. We know how you hate to worry others, especially when you feel there is no real cause to."

"We also know how much Gelu Hiver means to you, to us, to all Kinmokians. Not wanting to worry anyone over the holiday isn't something to be ashamed of Yaten," Taiki continued. Yaten kept looking between the two of them as they spoke, eyes doubtful and questioning. How could they not blame her for this?

"You did nothing wrong," Seiya said simply, finally breaking the barrier and placing a hand on the smallest Starlight's shoulder.

Yaten raised her eyes up to meet her leader's eyes. Seiya could still see the torment and worry with a questioning and doubtful edge in her friend's eyes. It hurt her to see Yaten like this; it really did.

"But-" Yaten started, but a soft squeeze to her shoulder and the gentle smile on Seiya's face made her fall quiet.

"Yaten, do you really think Seiya and I would have done anything different if we had been in your shoes?" Taiki asked with a small smile on her face. Yaten tore her gaze away from Seiya to look towards her other team-mate. Taiki raised an eyebrow before continuing. "Do you think our Princess would have done any differently if she had been in your position?"

Yaten glanced back up at Seiya, seeking reassurance, before meeting Taiki's eyes once more. She was quiet a moment before she shook her head softly. "No," she agreed quietly.

Seiya gently squeezed Yaten's shoulder again before she spoke. "Exactly."

"So you see, Yaten; you did nothing wrong," Taiki said. "We would have done the exact same thing. So would the Princess. So would all of Kinmoku."

"So it's not your fault. It's no-one's fault," Seiya continued. "And if you don't believe us now, I'm sure the Princess will drill it into you once we find her."

"She'd probably start blaming herself as well," Taiki mused.

"Okay, okay, I get your point," Yaten chuckled as she rolled her eyes. The Starlights never lied to each other when it came to matters like this, so Yaten knew that accepting it to be the truth was the right thing to do. She still felt a little guilty about all the lives lost, but a part of that may have been due to her position on the medical team and as a Starlight. The memories would never leave her. Nor would the memories of feeling each Star Seed as it was extinguished. But if they were ever to find their Princess, then she had to forgive herself first. "It's not my fault."

"Good," Seiya nodded, smiling at Yaten as Taiki chuckled.

A comfortable silence settled over the three as they all felt the same contentment and happiness as their team became one again. For so long now they had been divided. They never realized how much they had missed each other, how much they had missed this. The only thing that was missing now was their Princess. But they would find her.

After a few moments, Taiki cleared her throat. "We probably should head back in before they start looking for us," she said, causing Yaten to grimace. As much as she didn't want to go back in to that party, the thought of Minako cornering her out here would be even worse.

"Yeah, you're right," she nodded, as a thoughtful look appeared on Seiya's face. Noticing this both Taiki and Yaten raised an eyebrow. It was rare for Seiya to sprout such an intelligent look.

"What is it?" Taiki finally asked.

Seiya looked between her two friends before speaking. "It's just... all three of us are out here."

"Yes, Seiya, we are." Yaten said slowly, nodding as if agreeing with a child. Seiya just shot her an exasperated look before she shook her head.

"What I mean is that us three are out here... leaving some of the biggest and craziest ThreeLights fans alone in our apartment... with no doors locked, apart from Yaten's... and all our personal belongings in there..."

Both Taiki and Yaten nodded to show their understanding before Taiki's eyes widened, almost comically, as understanding truly hit her.

"Oh Kami, my poetry!" She exclaimed before practically bolting back into their apartment, leaving Seiya and Yaten laughing good naturedly out on the balcony. Shaking her head in amusement, Seiya turned to look at Yaten once more. The change in her, in just these few minutes was quite massive. She was happy and laughing, and Seiya was glad to see it.

"You okay?" she asked, once their laughter had died down.

Yaten considered Seiya a moment before smiling. "Hai," she nodded in affirmation. And she was.

Seiya smiled back before patting Yaten on the back. "Good," she said. "Now, let's get back to that fun party."

Yaten grimaced once more. "I wouldn't exactly call it that."

Seiya just grinned. "Come on, Yaten. Try and have some fun... onegai?"

The shorter Starlight sighed dramatically before smirking. "Okay, but only if you keep Minako away from me." This caused Seiya to laugh once more.

"Okay, deal," she agreed before beginning to make her way back into their apartment. Yaten started to follow but came to a stop.

"Seiya..." she called out to her friend, who stopped and turned, giving Yaten a curious look.

"Yeah?" she said. Yaten was quiet a moment before she raised her eyes to meet Seiya's.

"Arigato," she said quietly, but Seiya could feel the depth in that one word. She smiled at the other 'Light before nodding once.

"It's no problem. It's what I'm here for."

Yaten smiled once more at Seiya before the taller Starlight began to turn to continue walking. Yaten wasn't finished though. She called out once more causing Seiya to pause and turn again.

"Yeah?" she asked again. Yaten was a little longer in replying this time, and when she did her face was marred by an ashamed frown.

"Gomen, Seiya. What I said to you before... I didn't..." she started but Seiya interrupted her by nodding.

"I know," she said, smiling softly. "It's okay. I forgive you." Yaten's face brightened, and she smiled at Seiya again.

"Arigato," she said again. Seiya smiled back before nodding to close the subject.

"Come on, let's go."

"Hai."

A few hours later and the party was finally drawing to a close. The Outer Senshi had already left, claiming it was way past Hotaru's bedtime. The others swore they would still hear the Senshi of Saturn's protests a good fifteen minutes after they had walked out the door.

Taiki and Seiya were just saying goodbye to the rest of their guests.

"Arigato Seiya-san, Taiki-kun," Ami said as she bowed her head politely.

"We had a great time," Rei added as Makoto nodded her head in agreement.

"Say Goodbye to Yaten-kun for us," she said, elbowing a pouting Minako none too gently.

"Ow! Mako-chan..." she hissed before smiling brightly as the two Starlights stood by the door. "Bye you guys! See you soon!" she said, happily waving as she flounced out of the apartment. Rei, Ami and Makoto just shook their heads as they followed their team-mate out of the door. Seiya and Taiki grinned at each other before Usagi hugged them both, giving them an apologetic smile of her own.

"Merry Christmas!" she said as she too left the apartment. Seiya smiled fondly after her as she shut the door. Taiki sighed inwardly but made no comment.

"Come on," she said as she turned and began to walk into the living room to begin the big clean up.

As if snapping out of a trance, Seiya looked around before following Taiki, with a frown on her face. "Hey, where is Yaten?"

Taiki looked back at Seiya for a moment before a soft breeze blew over them. As one, both Taiki and Seiya turned their heads to see the door to the balcony was open again. Dropping what they were doing, they both walked out onto the balcony and there, like they thought, was Yaten.

She was standing, staring up at the stars with her hands resting lightly on a small table in front of her (she must have moved it there). On the table sat a lone candle, its flame flickering in the breeze. Surrounding the candle were four stems of Olive blossoms. How Yaten had got those, they did not know.

Closing the distance, Seiya did not hesitate in resting a hand on the smaller Starlight's shoulder again. "Yaten?" she asked gently.

Lowering her eyes, Yaten turned her head to look at Seiya. After a moment she looked to her other side to see Taiki standing there. She smiled at them both before looking at the candle she had lit minutes ago. "I felt I had to do something... For them..." she explained, quietly.

Seiya smiled and knew, even without looking, that Taiki was too. "It's a good idea," she said.

"It is," Taiki said simply, nodding her head in agreement.

Yaten smiled before raising her eyes to the stars once more. "To all those whose Star Seeds were stolen, may you return to us soon," she said, Seiya and Taiki also raising their eyes to look at the Stars, unknowingly standing closer together, united.

"To all those who lost their lives, we will never forget you," she continued. "To our Princess... we will find you, and we will be reunited once more... To Kinmoku," she finished.

"To Kinmoku."


End file.
